NEW BRIGHTON RESERVES.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14408, 16 July 1912, Page 4

NEW BRIGHTON RESERVES.

TO THE EDITOR OF "TTIE I'UESS." Sir, —As .one who lived for a considerable number of years in the New Brighton district, and who still has tho warmest admiration for the truly progressive borough, I feel compelled to protest strongly against the alienation of any-part-, however small, of the Domain.

Were the situation unfit for the growth ol trees it would bo quite another matter. But, as I have shown in my 'Dune-Area Report," the successful tiee-planting in the Domnin at New Brighton is an object ksson to the Dominion ns a* whole. Even the scientific journal "Nature," which has no room for extraneous matter in its pages reproduced from that report a photograph of the interior of the New Brighton Domain to show would-be sand-planters ..in the Olu World what could be done with sandhills.

As for the stopping of sand-drift, tho town itself is a splendid example of how dunes may be fixed through levelling, clajing tho surface, and breaking tho face of tho wind, nnd with extension of the houses side hy side to north and south, the drift, except on the actual shore, will cease to he. Regarding the Domain itself, planting trees on sand is hoth cheap and easy; many species grow admirahly, while, so far as fire is concerned, belts of non-inflnmmahle trees would reduce the danger to a minimum. Bearing the abovo facts in mind, together with the knowledge of how greatly the piue-ciad hills and hollows of the" Domain add to the attractions of the watering-place, tho citizens of New Brighton should surely pause and consider well, before reducing tho area of a'reserve at present none too large, and remember, too, that reserves once lost, are tone for ever. —- Yours, etc., L. COCKAYNE. . Christchurch, July 15th TO TITE EDITOR OF "THR rnES3.*' Sir, —As we have had the pleasure of reading several letters in* your paper on this question, written from what 1 call tho sentimental side of the argument, I should esteem it a favour-if you could allow mo to explain as far as I am able the view looking from the practical side. ... New Brighton, as everybody is aware, is destined to become one of the principle health resorts of the Dominion, but we as ratepayers have an extremely uphill road to travel to make it such. Wo are handicapped with the following facts: —(1) Wo have no endowments to help us; (2) our appeals to outside local bodies have been fruitless; (3) wo have an enormous amount of roads formed and to form in proportion to tho area, which cost at least one-third moro to get into shape than any othor borough near Christchurch, owing to the wholo of the material having to be brought from long distances. The borough has been cut up into sections years ago, and thus it falls on tho ratepayers to form miles of roads out of the rates, or tho owners must patiently wait until a loan is raised beforo access can ho given to their holdings. We have to provide accommodation for the pleasure-seekers who come down here, and also pay absolutely nothing towards the upkeep either on tha beach or the domains generally, leaving the footpaths, side channels, and surroundings of tho pier strewn with rubbish which has to bo removed at our expense. And the fact is well known that the general rate is not sufficient, even supposing that it could be administered better, to provide for the ordinary requirements of the borough, without being compelled to spend part of it on the accommodation of visitors, and if this place is to progress we must have

that accommodation in tho shape of (1) conveniences on the foreshore, esp<>eially for women and children, (2) better and up-to-date bathing accommodation in tho shapo of buildings and hot sea baths, (3) shelters for the appliances of tho surf and life-saving clubs, (4) completion of the sports' ground, (3) proper safeguarding of the domain and plantations from fire, (0) judicious slanting of reserves, (7) and should tho pier ultimately becomo the property of tlio public, money will be required to provide for the improvements thereon whiph the public will demand. These items aro all public matters, and oven if they aro not carried out, will not inconvenience the ordinary ratepayer, but would bo an immense boon to Christchurch, and the surrounding districts, and moreover the local authority is continually being asked for funds to promote ono or other of these objects. Now, whero is the money coming from, and why should the ordinary ratepayer provide all this and land themselves with tho unenviable reputation of being tho most highly rated borough in the Dominion? The Council seeing this has, after much thought, como to tho conclusion that tho public could get over the difficulty by .changing a small block of land amounting to one twenty-fifth of tho resei-ves of New Brighton, not including the foreshore,-and which I might describe, for tho benefit of those who do not know, as a block of sandy windswept waste desert on which nothing is growing except a few scattered lupin, with occasional bunches of marram grass dotted hero and there over it. and which is travelling across toward-- the plantation and the township. One house in Lonsdale street which has only been up about four years, having the drifting sand nearly up to the eaves. This veritable -wilderness, which is only valuable for building Kites, it is proposed to change, not absolutely alienate, from the public, for a farm of equal valuo or other firstclass security, which at a rough estimate is expected to produ'ee, at 5 per cent, interest, the sum of £300 or £400 per annum. This- sum would be available for all time, as an endowment to be spent in thc necessary improvements on tho foreshore and other public reserves which are vested in tiie Borough Council as local authority, and this sum could not bo touched for ordinary borough "-.york by which tho resident ratepayer of New Brighton benefit directly. I hold that the Council would not be doing its duty to tho public and ratepayers of this important place unless they endeavoured to bring forward some scheme, whereby tho visiting publb could obtain the ordinary conveniences which any seaside resort is expected to provide. From another point of view the schemo is very attractive. We should bo relieved from the menace of the sand drift. Tho enormous sum of about £50,000 will bo circulated in the borough and surroundings in ten years, for it is calculated" that over £2000 will be required for road formation; all tho sections will cost at least £o a piece to level, probably more; the houses to be erected at thc lowest ostimato, namely, £300, will total £37,000; interest on the principle for ten -years, £4G<X). Then the ordinary rates in ten years will amount t&*» large sum This would all be spent in the borough and surrounding districts in metal timber, stone bricks, labour, and the other innumerable itema that are necessary to turn an absolutely unproductive sandy waste< into what, if the conditions to be laid down in the scheme aro carried out, will be a veritable garden city And I should like to Tjoinfc out & a t the scheme has been devised -with a view of preventing anything i n the shape of over-crowding. and that there will bo no fear of unsightly being erected. Due provision has been

made to provide easy access to th>« Domain from tho beach. In fact looking at- the scheme from both a practical and sentimental of point of view: ample provision is being made for tin* requirements of-"tho unborn'millions." and if carried through it will he dointi ''the greatest good to the greatestnumber'* of the people, not only ot New Brighton, but of the whole district of North Canterbury, to -whom Mr Howell so pathetically appeals in his letter on tho subject. I would earnestly ask the ratepavcrs of this borough to think well beforo they throw otit :t proposal which wo may never again have the chanco of having put before us. and not let any personal* or other motives prevent them from ranging themselves on the side that will provide what, in their own minds, would bo the greatest benefit to the present generation and those who come alter us.-—Yours, etc.. E. LANGFORD. TO THE EDITOR 09 "THE PRESS." £- r% —Different correspondence which has recently appeared in your columns ro the above is very apt to give one not versed in New Brighton affairs a very wrong impression. The New Brighton borough, consisting of some 1500 acres, has SCO acre.s of"reserves. No one doubts the wisdom and foresight of our early pioneers in giving us this valuable asset, but to havo°one-third of a borough such as Brighton, in reserves, is distinctly Utopian. It is impossible for any Council to carry out any improvements without money, nnd **It- Fleshcr's schemo is the only good road out of the difficulty. Tho land in question, that part with frontage to the beach from BowhiJl road to the first houso south, is not planted, nnd under present conditions is never likely to bo. Mr Fleshers scheme of taking in a small part of this frontage to enable a suitable esplanade to bo built, would not only, be an advantage to everybody concerned, but to the remaining portion of this' particular part of the reserve. Thero would bo roads to the reserve from the esplana-3© —avenues two chains wide would be an improvement, I think. As far as speculation is concerned, no room is given, for speculators.

Tho money derived from the sale oF land is distinctly ''ear-marked," and is to ho spent on tho improvement of tho sea frontage only. _An esplanade is the one thing that Nov.- Brighton needs to make it an up-to-dato and attractive sea-side resort. Tho sale of a few acres of an extensive reserve for tho betterment of the remainine; jwrtion of tho reserve and tho borough generally, would have cost our early pioneers very littlo thought indeed. Thero are acres and acres of implanted reserve further down tho beach. To endeavour to give the public tho idea that the scheme is hand in hand with speculators and land accents is an injustice to all concerned.—Yours, etc..

SAND FLY. [Whero does our correspondent find his authority for stating valit Mr Flesher's scheme contemplates taking only "a small part" of tho sea frontaKo of the reserve? As explained by Mr Flesher himself, the scheme provides for taking tho wholo frontage for a certain distance hack from tho lino of the esplanade.—Ed. "Tho Press."]